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Warex Liao was only twenty-eight when he became chancellor of the Capellan Confederation. Born to Androsar Liao and Ardath Winter, Warex graduated from the Capella War College in 2713, and rose to the rank of a major before his sister’s unexpected death in 2715. He spent the next four years preparing to assume the Celestial Throne, which he did on 29 June 2719.

Warex was a shrewd logistician but an uninspired politician. He transformed the disparate branches of the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces into a unified and organized modern military. In 2721, he integrated Capellan aerospace and naval forces and instituted biannual joint exercises with the Capellan army. He lobbied for, and received, access to Terran Hegemony technology and brought several new 'Mech designs to the CCAF.

To support his new military, Warex reformed the Procurement Division, expanded indoctrination programs in secondary education, and increased tariffs on consumer goods. This earned him the animosity of the House of Scions and many Capellan citizens. Tensions grew during the late 2730s, when he was accused of giving everything to the military. By the 2740s, Warex routinely employed Maskirovka agents to silence vocal dissidents.

Warex’s interest in all things martial brought much-needed innovation and refinement to the Capellan military, but the previous century’s social and infrastructure growth saw drastic cuts in funding and prestige. Unrest grew, and the threat of violence rose across the Confederation.

As Warex fell ill and protests over unfair taxation flared to life in the Periphery states, a flashpoint erupted when a group calling itself the Chesterton Liberation Battalion used a nuclear weapon to destroy a BattleMech factory on Demeter. He died shortly before the news of the attack reached Sian.[3]